Half and Half and Missing
by bichonluvr
Summary: After nearly a century of being a vampire, Bella stumbles into a dark secret from her past as her coven stumbles into Edward and his coven.
1. Bored to Death

**Okay, so I don't own Twilight...or the characters, because Stephenie Meyer does...and I'd like to give credit to barbie4life for Bella's powers, they are AWESOME!**

Chapter One: Bored to Death (or a 2nd death…)

I heaved a sigh. It was midnight, and I was out of things to do. Being a vampire was really cool, but got boring at night when there was nothing to do. I guess, if I was desperate…

"Bella! Let me give you a makeover!" Alice's shrill voice was excited. She loved playing Barbie Doll Bella.

"I'm in!" Rosalie walked into my room and leaned against the door frame. I was splayed across my couch, watching lazily.

"Don't, please. I'm not in the mood." I begged. "I'm bored, but not _that_ bored."

Alice danced into the room, a pout on her face. "But tomorrow is the first day of school! At least for us."

I groaned in defeat, and Alice squealed. She ran over to me, but then there was a loud thud. Two, actually. I cracked open an eye to see what had happened. Rosalie was doubled over with laughter, and Alice was sitting up on the floor rubbing her forehead. I let my eyes glaze over and realized that I had thrown up my shield.

Some of us vampires have special powers. Well, Alice could see the future. Mine, I could turn invisible at will, and I could put up a shield in front of me. I also, when I touched other vampires, made a copy of their power that I could use. It could be said that I was possibly the strongest vampire ever. Oh, the strongest and klutziest: not a good combination.

"Sorry, Alice," I apologized, sitting up and removing the shield, "I did that without meaning to."

Alice jumped up, a wicked gleam in her eye.

"So, to make up for it…" She started.

"…Let us give you a makeover!" Rosalie finished happily. I held out my arms and let them tow me to Alice's bathroom. I didn't like their makeovers, but it was better than being dragged along to go shopping.

"You can choose my clothes for tomorrow, but I am going to do my makeup." I bargained.

"Fine," Rosalie said, "So we'll just keep doing different makeup scenarios and you can copy the one you like best." They proceeded to do me up like I was going to prom. Luckily, I didn't have to try on outfits. They argued over what colors to use, and ended up doing my makeup several times. A picture was taken at each finished product, however.

Finally, dawn arrived. "Time to get ready for school!" Alice trilled in her soprano voice. She and Rosalie ran to the closets. After a few minutes, they emerged with my outfit. It wasn't too bad, meaning it could have been a lot worse. Alice's eyes went blank, and I had a vision with her. I saw the outfit she had picked out for me, which was a miniskirt and a revealing tank top, and I saw the students of Forks High. All the boys were drooling over me.

"Oh, no. Okay, I choose my clothes and you do my makeup." I reversed the bargain.

Rosalie raised her eyebrows. "What was the vision?"

"The boys were drooling over me. It's usually bad enough without those clothes." I explained. Alice's eyes lit up.

"I get to do your makeup again!"She squealed. I escaped to my room, into my large closet. It was stuffed with clothes, mostly Alice's and Rosalie's doing. I put on jeans that flared slightly at the bottom, and my favorite shirt: sleeveless, white eyelet lace. (A/N: This is the shirt Bella wears at the beginning of Twilight when she is leaving Phoenix, and it is described as her favorite shirt) I grabbed 

some off-white ballet flats that I knew Alice would force me into anyway, and went back to Alice's bathroom.

Rosalie was in her room, picking out her outfit. Alice walked out of her closet and modeled her outfit for me.

"I love it," I enthused, giving her two thumbs up. It was perfect for her. She wore a miniskirt with a long sleeve shirt. I sat down on the chair in her bathroom, and Alice was flying in circles around me.

She dabbed on my makeup quickly, stopping every now and then to consider what to do next, and then stepped away. I glanced in the mirror. "I do love your outfit, but I love this even more." The colors were all natural, and, if it were even possible, accentuated my vampirical beauty. There was even a bit of golden, glittering eye shadow that matched my topaz eyes.

Alice put her hands on my shoulders, having to reach up from her petite height, and pushed me back down onto the chair of torture. I caved in, and let her do my hair.

My hair already had soft waves, and she just pulled the front and top back into a simple flipped ponytail. It was very simple and human looking, but that would help us fit in.

"Okay," Alice said, "Get out so I can do my makeup." She ushered me out the door. I slipped on the ballet flats and ran down to Rosalie's room. I knocked and entered her room.

Just like Alice, Rosalie modeled her outfit. She was in jeans and a tank top. She was also several inches taller, as she was wearing high heels. I gave her the thumbs up and ran downstairs to the living room. I looked in the mirror again, checking my eye color. They were still the topaz color that meant I was well…fed. I didn't need to feed as much as Rosalie or Alice, but I was a vampire. My self-control was perfect, and humans didn't tempt me at all. I smiled and went to check my backpack.

Everything I needed was in my backpack. I took it outside and put it in the trunk of my baby-blue Audi. I chuckled as I saw Alice's yellow Porsche 911 Turbo and Rosalie's red M3 Convertible. My car was the least conspicuous, so we usually rode it. Alice and Rosalie came and joined me.

"The first day of school!" Alice sang, tossing her shoulder bag next to mine. Rosalie neatly placed her messenger bag on the side of the trunk. I closed in and climbed into the driver's seat. Alice was in the passenger seat, and Rosalie slid into the back.

"Why are you so excited, Alice?" Rosalie questioned as I pulled out of the cavernous garage and started down the long driveway. (A/N: They are currently living in the house the Cullens' own in _Twilight_)

"Yes, why, Alice? It's our…I've stopped counting how many times we've started at different high schools. Not to even touch the subject of college." I added, speeding up.

"It's our twentieth time starting high school," Alice said. "I mean, this is a major milestone." We drove in silence the rest of the way to school. I pulled into a parking spot and we got out. All the boys around us were staring.

"Here we go again," Rosalie commented, quietly enough so that only Alice and I could hear. I smirked. We headed to the office, and walked in. At the front desk, an older woman was working.

"We're Bella, Rosalie, and Alice Hale." I informed her.

She fumbled with her papers after seeing us. "Oh!" She said, "Here you go." She gave us maps and schedules, and instructions to have each teacher sign the paper and return it after class. I quickly scanned my schedule. I had gym third period.

"Excuse me, I don't do gym." I told the woman. She blinked at me.

"I'm sorry, but then we have to rearrange your schedule. Can you do Gym for at least today?" She asked, flustered. I nodded slowly, and we headed back to the car.

"I'm dead," I moaned as I grabbed my backpack. "I can't do gym!" As a human, I had been a danger magnet and the biggest klutz alive. Even though vampires were graceful, and I was, I was somehow still fumbling my way around when I did sports.

Rosalie snapped the trunk shut and locked the car. "You mean the other students are dead when you lose control."

Alice scanned the future. "You won't have trouble today," She assured me. We compared schedules. We all had lunch at the same period, I had English with Rose first, and Government with Alice fourth, and we all had gym together.

"See, we'll be there to prevent any accidents." Rosalie said. Sure, she was graceful doing _anything_, even housework.

The first bell rang, and Rosalie and I strode into English. I groaned again after I saw what waited for us in there.


	2. The Torture Called School

**The day that my pet cat sprouts wings and talks English will be the day I own Bella's powers and Twilight. (I don't even have a pet cat...yeah.)**

Chapter Two: The Torture Called School

All the boys in class were staring at us, lust clear in their eyes. If only they knew the lust we—mainly Rosalie and Alice actually—felt for them, they would cut it out. I could tell, though, with my heightened senses, that they were slightly wary of us. We did look intimidating. Rosalie went to the teacher to get him to sign the slip, and I copied her. He made us stand in front of the class and introduce ourselves. I grew embarrassed, and Rosalie pinched me. If I grew too embarrassed, I would turn invisible. Not a good way to start at a new school.

We then wove our way through the desks to the empty seats. Rosalie sat across the room from me. The boy I sat next to had blond hair gelled into perfect spikes. He eyed me appreciatively, trying to be inconspicuous about it.

"The boy next to me is already hitting on me and I've been here mere seconds." I said so quickly and quietly so that only Rosalie could hear me. The ghost of a chuckle reached my ears, and I saw her nod slightly out of the corner of my eye.

The lecture began. The class was reading _Wuthering Heights_, which I had memorized. I took notes, only a part of my mind on my work. The whole class went like that. I left the room as quickly as possible as to not arouse suspicion. Rosalie joined me.

"At least the boy next to you just sat there. Mine kept scooting closer to me." Rosalie was the most gorgeous vampire alive, so that was understandable. With my power, we had discovered that beauty was her power, which meant I grew more beautiful as soon as I touched Rosalie. We separated off to our classes.

I had to sit through Trigonometry. At least the teacher didn't make me introduce myself, but I had to sit next to a girl named Jessica. She was a little taller than Alice, but her curly black hair made up the difference in our heights. She slid to the opposite end of her chair, away from me. I didn't think she liked me.

Much as I hated it, I didn't want Trig to end. I had gym next. At least Rosalie and Alice could help prevent any accidents I might have. When the bell rang again, echoing around in my sensitive ears, I slunk off to gym.

I met Rosalie and Alice at the door. "You'll be fine," Rosalie said, giving my hand a squeeze. They dragged me to the teacher, who gave us uniforms. Rosalie sighed as we headed to the locker rooms to change. I knew what she was thinking. As a result of our glorified bodies, all of the other girls gawked in the changing rooms. I, again, changed at the top speed that a human could do. Rosalie went slightly too fast.

"Tempting fate, Rose," I whispered for her benefit. She glared at me, and I shrugged. "At least you are graceful in this class, not a klutz."

Alice huffed and pulled me out to sit with the class. Luck was with me today. Our female teacher was only telling us how to play badminton, which was the sport we would start tomorrow. I sat through the class, and then Alice and I went to Government.

Alice chatted while we walked. "You should try doing gym this year, Bella. Give it a try, and if it doesn't work…" I cut her off.

"I'll expose us." I hissed quickly. She shook her head, and we entered our class. Again, the boys stared. We were able to sit in back together and continue the vampire-style conversation. By the end of class, I agreed to give gym a shot.

We left the room for lunch. "Ooh, lunch. My favorite time!" Alice said sarcastically. I snickered. Lunch was rather annoying. All three of us, Rosalie included, filled our trays with minimal amounts of the disgusting human food. We sat down at an empty table to talk quietly.

"Anybody make a move on you yet, Rose?" Alice said quietly.

"I'll switch my diet if they do." Rosalie said, stopping when three boys walked over to our table. I threw my lunch away before they could tell that I hadn't touched it. Rose and Alice did the same thing. One was the boy I sat next to in English, and the others were staring at Rosalie and Alice.

"Please don't drop the diet, Rosalie," I told her at vampire speed. Alice laughed.

"I'm Mike Newton, and this is Tyler and Eric. Can we sit down with you ladies?" Mike said, trying to be casual.

"Sure!" Alice said, chipper as always. What was she talking about? Rosalie grinned and came to sit next to me and Alice so all the boys were forced to sit on the other bench, staring at us.

I growled under my breath. "Alice Hale, I will get you for this later." She just widened her smile, flashing her teeth this time at the boys. They drew back slightly, their instincts telling them we were dangerous. If only they knew.

"I'm Bella Hale, and these are my adopted sisters, Alice and Rosalie." I gestured to them, but Mike's eyes never strayed from me.

"He's going to be trouble." I muttered to myself. I thought Alice's smile was going to fall off.

Tyler leaned forward, eyeing Rosalie. "Aren't you in my English class? I sit next to you, remember?" Wow, he was desperate.

"Excuse me, but I have to go talk to one of my teachers about an assignment." I excused myself smoothly, leaving Alice and Rosalie to deal with the desperate teens. The bell rang, and I went to Biology.

Biology was boring. I held a degree in Science already, and could have taught the class better than Mr. Banner, the old teacher. I took notes, but was deep in my own mind. What do I do about Mike? Make him realize that I'm dangerous and can't be with him? The bell interrupted me again, and I headed to study hall.

In there, I ground my teeth in frustration. I was stuck sitting in front of Mike Newton. The whole period, his eyes were glued to the back of my head. I escaped yet again, and met Rosalie in the hall. "Terrible?" She asked, reading my expression.

"Mike. Newton. If you change your diet, I'm following you." I said as we strode to the office.

Rosalie laughed at my declaration. "Bella, it's practically physically impossible for you to change your diet." It was true. For some reason, I couldn't drink human blood.

Alice ran up to our sides as we opened the door to the office. We all stiffened as we caught the scent of another vampire.

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	3. Crazy Vampires

**I don't own Twilight...or Bella's powers...I'm supposed to own my laptop, but my brothers keep stealing it...READ ON!**

Chapter Three: Crazy Vampires

That other vampire was standing at the desk, talking to the receptionist. She was even more flustered than when I had talked to her. He had blond hair and spoke with a slight London accent. He looked like a movie star.

"Yes, Dr. Cullen. Everything is set." The receptionist said, looking down. The other vampire glanced at us.

"May we talk outside?" He asked at vampire speed. I nodded. I was sort of the leader of our small coven of vampires.

We gave the papers to the woman and left the office. The other man was waiting for us. He held out a hand. "I'm Carlisle Cullen, a doctor. I'm…a vegetarian."

"I'm Bella Hale, and this is Rosalie and Alice Hale. We're also vegetarians." I introduced us, not shaking hands. I was wary. Alice reached out and enthusiastically pumped his hand up and down. Seeing that she was fine, I briefly touched hands with him. He didn't have an extra power. "Vegetarians" was the term we used to refer to the fact that we fed off of animals instead of humans.

"Would you like to come to my house to meet the rest of my coven?" Carlisle asked. I looked at Rosalie, who nodded. Alice closed her eyes, then nodded. That was our code that nothing special was in the future.

"I think we would enjoy that." I said slowly.

Carlisle walked over to a black Mercedes. "If you just follow me, I'll lead you to my house."

We climbed into the Audi. "I approved off going over there out of politeness." Rosalie hissed when Carlisle was out of hearing. "We don't know anything about them."

"Alice, take over," I instructed her. I closed my eyes as she grasped the wheel in one hand and steered for me. I scanned the future. Carlisle had a family of three boys, one of them bigger and brawny. I saw him and Rosalie getting along just perfectly. I snapped open my eyes.

"Rosalie, you're going to love it." I assured her. I took over the wheel, still following the Mercedes. "I made it through gym, and you can do this." She just looked away, staring out the window.

A few minutes later we made it to a large house. It was similar to ours, also in a large clearing. The house wasn't quite as large, though. We got out and followed Carlisle to the door.

"I have three 'adopted' sons, or so the humans believe." Carlisle explained as he paused outside the door. There was a large crash inside the house, and Carlisle grimaced. "They make up my coven."

"Carlisle?" A velvet voice called, "We have some large problems."

Carlisle strode in the house, us following him. "Yes, large problems." A bronze-haired boy was speaking, glancing from Rosalie to Alice to me.

"Hi Edward." Alice said, happy as always. I could see visions of the future like her, but she liked it better when she got to parade the knowledge around.

The loud crash we had heard came again. We followed Edward and Carlisle into another room. Two boys, Jasper and Emmett, were wrestling. They broke apart, still not noticing us. I had a brief vision.

"Emmett, Jasper's going to try to do something to you by controlling your emotions or something." I called as a warning. That seemed to be Jasper's power. They froze, and all of the Cullens stared at me.

I felt uncomfortable. A grin shot across my face, trying to mask my feelings. I didn't know what Jasper could do. "Alice, Rosalie, see you later," I said. I turned invisible.

"AAAHHH!! What happened?" Emmett screamed. I danced out of the way as Alice reached to grab me. I bumped into Edward, and he jumped. A shudder rippled down my spine.

_I want my mommy!! _Emmett wailed.

_Okay, this is weird. It's like she's not even there! _Jasper was staring all around the room.

_Grr. Not again. I'll kill her later. _Alice was mad.

_Hey, I like Emmett_. As usual, Rosalie was totally preoccupied with herself. Or whoever was involved with her.

_This could get interesting_. Carlisle considered what had happened. I noticed that when I heard all the voices, none of the lips were moving.

"Crap," I whispered. All the heads snapped in my direction.

"Another power?" Alice said sympathetically. I turned visible again, and nodded.

"AAAHHH!! What happened?" Emmett screamed again.

"QUIET!" Carlisle roared. Everyone fell silent and I went invisible again, but not before Alice had grabbed my arm. "What is going on here?"

Rosalie laughed. "Bella's a danger magnet. That's what's going on."

"Who's Bella? Who are you guys? What are you doing here?" Jasper said. "And what keeps happening to her?"

_I _said_ and I_ warned_ them that we had large problems, but of course they didn't listen to me. And what is wrong with that brunette?_ Edward was irritated. I turned visible with a snarl.

"What is wrong with being a brunette?" I snapped, annoyed right back.

Edward backed up, holding his hands up. "She's dangerous. I can't read her mind, but she knows what I am thinking." Emmett cowered behind Carlisle. Funny, but you'd think that with him being the strongest and all he wouldn't be the most…scared. I didn't know vampires got scared.

Alice grinned maniacally. "Dang right she's dangerous. She's the strongest vampire alive. And the most powerful." She threw her head back and cackled evilly, snapping out of it only when Rosalie slapped her.

I growled. "Alice, what did we talk about?"

"Fine, but look at the future!" Alice commanded, falling silent. I gazed at the future, not seeing the room around me. I saw us joining the coven we were talking to now. Rosalie was in love with Emmett already, and Alice and I couldn't leave her. I snapped back to reality and the present when Emmett let out a war cry and hurled himself at me.

As Emmett launched himself at me, I reflexively threw up my shield. He crashed into it with a large _boom_, and rebounded off of it. He ended up leaving a huge dent in the other side of the wall. I extended the shield to cover Alice and Rosalie, and I slid over so I was closer to them.

Emmett stood up slowly, his face terrified, and then crashed through the wall, running outside. _Those aren't—at least the brunette—aren't vampires! What are they?_ He was frantic, and I realized that I was hearing their thoughts.

"Edward, you're a mind reader, aren't you." I said. It wasn't a question. He glared at me. He was actually quite handsome.

_Emmett's right._ Edward thought. He started to say something, but I beat him to it. I thought I saw him stiffen out of the corner of my eye as a breeze ruffled through the room, but I was just imagining it.

"That is quite rude, Edward, and an insult to me. I am a vampire. Just ask Alice and Rosalie. Or read their minds." I snapped. I was through dealing with these maniacs. I lowered the shield and became invisible.

_Not again!_ Jasper groaned. I smirked, even though he couldn't see it. Jasper could control and sense the emotions around him, but not mine. I loved being the exception to talents. Edward couldn't read my mind either. I left the room, and Alice heard my footsteps. She tried to tackle me, but I dodged and she crashed into Edward.

I got into the car, and sped away. I drove to our house, parking in our garage. I sat there for a moment, and then got out. I dragged my backpack into the house and did my homework, which took about fifteen minutes.

I was bored, yet again, and Alice and Rosalie weren't coming home for a while. I pulled out my laptop, and logged on to a vampire chat room.

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	4. The Truth

**My pet cat is still mute and wing-less (not a feline-avian hybrid, sadly)**

**yoyoente: yeah, Bella has tons of power, and is still a klutz, it says why in here. **

Chapter Four: The Truth

Only vampires could join the chat room, unless the human knew about the vampires. Like I had when I was human…over a century ago. I logged in as Alice because I didn't feel like being me. Her name was ICANSEEYOURFUTURE. A message window from _Isabella.Hale_ popped up. I was surprised. That was my real screen name.

Isabella.Hale: BELLA!

ICANSEEYOURFUTURE: Okay, it has to be either Alice or Rosalie

Isabella.Hale: It's both.

ICANSEEYOURFUTURE: Y r u logged in as me?

Isabella.Hale: -cough-look at your name-cough-

ICANSEEYOURFUTURE: So who's computer are you on?

_imprettierthanyou has joined the chat_

Isabella.Hale: So I'm Alice, on Jasper's computer

imprettierthanyou: Obviously, I'm Rose on Emmett's computer

ICANSEEYOURFUTURE: If you want to talk to me, come to this house.

_Edward.Cullen has joined the conversation_

Edward.Cullen: So who is who?

Isabella.Hale: This is Bella's account, but it's Alice

ICANSEEYOURFUTURE: Grrrrrrrrr. Snarrrrrrrrl. Grrrrrrrowl. Arrrrrrrgh.

imprettierthanyou: Bella, I'll be right over. You're obviously having a seizure. Alice, we're leaving.

_Isabella.Hale has left the conversation_

_imprettierthanyou has left the conversation_

ICANSEEYOURFUTURE: seizure? what?

Edward.Cullen: So who am I speaking to right now?

ICANSEEYOURFUTURE: the dangerous brunette

Edward.Cullen:…er…sorry about that. : )?

Edward.Cullen: Excuse me, aren't you Bella?

_ICANSEEYOURFUTURE has left the conversation_

I growled. I shut off my computer and closed my eyes. I flew backward as Alice suddenly tackled me. She slapped my cheek, and I didn't have the heart to stop her.

"That's for earlier. What was all that for?" Alice cried. Rosalie snickered and followed Alice in.

"You know me, Alice. What else is there to speak about?" I said, pushing Alice off of me. She got up.

Rosalie took my hand. "We do know you. That wasn't you. That was your past. Quite literally, in fact."

"I can't remember my past. Only what you have told me." I whispered. I remembered nothing of my human past, the first memory was the pain of when Alice bit me. They had told me that I had had a hard life, and already knew of vampires. That was all.

"You want to know your past?" Alice said quietly. I nodded. If I could, I have tears running down my face.

"You smelled too good." Rosalie stated softly. "Always, too, too good. You were constantly hunted by vampires. They killed your parents, but you were an only child."

Alice's face fell. "They came so close to killing you. We rescued you, the two of us, and raised you. When you turned eighteen…"

"We hadn't meant to let you turn into one of us." Rose apologized. "Another vampire thought you smelled really way too good; you were his singer. That's when, for some reason, your blood is even more tempting to a certain vampire. He got past us, and bit you. Alice and I came and took him away just then, and she bit you some more to make the transformation faster." I was shocked. I knew I had been a klutz and a danger magnet, but I didn't know it was of this magnitude.

Alice's attitude grew brighter. "So that's why you are so powerful, we think. You were in so much trouble and danger; your body had to learn how to compensate. Of course, your body forgot to eliminate the klutziness."

"Wow," was all I could say. I thought a bit more, and then came up with, "So who was the vampire who bit me in the first place?"

"Oh, I don't remember his name," Alice waved away the comment. I listened to her thoughts though. _How am I supposed to tell her she met him today? That it was Edward Cullen?_ My eyes widened.

Rosalie's thoughts were on a similar track. _Edward Cullen was his name. How do we tell her? Moreover, how do we tell her that we need to act all cordial and polite around his coven? How?!_

My jaw clenched. "So it was Edward who did this to me?"

"Oops," Alice said, and she started singing in her head to keep me out. I didn't hear too much of it though, because I was outside, running.

I ran as fast as I could. Trees flew by me in blurred forms. I couldn't see. My eyes would have been filled with tears were I still human. If it weren't for Edward, I would still be human. Dead by now, but human. He killed me. I ran for hours, until I came to the base of a mountain.

"Oops again," I commented. "I'm in Canada now." The sun was starting to rise. I would miss school. But if _he_ was going to be there, that was fine with me.

I started ambling, at a fast human pace, around the base of the mountain. I was just going to stay here until I could blow off my temper.

"ARGH!" I cried. I punched a nearby rock. It split into two. I fell to the ground, letting out dry sobs.

I stopped crying when another scent hit my nostrils. It was elk, and I was thirsty. I realized that I was still in my favorite white shirt, but it didn't matter. It was already stained brown and green, and had a couple of tears. I had been kind of reckless during my run, and allowed harm to come to my clothes. I ignored it and followed the elk.

I was about to satiate my slight thirst when something more appetizing came near. I smelled mountain lion, which was my favorite. I wanted that instead. The smell was faint, but I started following it.

I ran again for a couple more hours. I was going north, and slightly west. When I finally caught up to the mountain lion I had been heading towards, another vampire looked up to glare at me, blood

trailing down their face. Her short hair was a red-orange color, and it tumbled chaotically in the strong breeze. A snarl emanated from her throat, and she ran at me.

**That's a cliffie for you. (why is it "ie" and not "Y"? Why?) To give you a hint about who is now going to tackle her, it's NOT Victoria.**

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	5. The Denali Coven

**I don't own Bella's power...Okay, here's a hint: it's called FANfiction. So, apparently, I don't own it. And my cat is still mute and firmly on the ground.**

**to ilovenaruto1223: I LOVE you for reviewing and you were _really_ close with Tanya...a hairsbreadth off the target. **

**Thank you to everyone who reviewed.**

Chapter Five: The Denali Coven

"Again?" I muttered, disbelieving. I threw up my shield, but she stopped just before she crashed into it, pivoting around to lose her momentum. Her head then whipped around to scrutinize me.

"What did you put there?" She hissed. "Oh, I can see something alright. But what is it?"

I lowered the shield and stuck my hands out in a gesture of peace. "I'm Bella Hale, and I mean you no harm."

"Hm," She murmured. I tuned in to her thoughts. _What do I do with her? She is obviously a vegetarian like my coven, do I take her back to meet my coven? And why can't I detect her lies?_

"I would love to meet your coven." I answered her thoughts accidentally. She glared at me.

"You were reading my thoughts." She accused. "Wait, Bella Hale? I knew of another Bella, are you sure your name isn't Bella Swan?"

"We are definitely going to your coven. How do you know my real name, and what is your name?" I snapped back. She smiled.

"I am Carmen. I'll tell you, when we reach my coven, how I know of you." Carmen said. "If you'll excuse me for a minute…" She turned back to her meal and finished it. Carmen stood up and wiped her mouth. _Bella Swan…that's the human girl that Edward bit. He felt horrible about that afterwards. Oh, if only Bella knew how much torture he put himself through for condemning another innocent soul to…_

I didn't let her finish. "He felt remorse?" I was skeptical. Only I, being the freak of a vampire I was, would feel remorse for biting another human. Well, Alice and Rosalie would feel bad about breaking our diet.

"Yes, trust me. I can't lie." Carmen's voice was full of loathing on her last sentence. _If you can read my mind, just follow me to my house_. I wasn't surprised that she had a house, but I was curious about her coven. She ran away, and I followed her. We ran for a few minutes, then came to the end of a road. A Mercedes was parked there, just like Carlisle's. Carmen got into it, and I copied her.

"So, you've been a vampire since Edward bit you, but how old is that, and how old…is your body?" Carmen asked, looking at me.

"About a century, a little under. It was the year 1919. I am technically eighteen years old." I replied, staring at the road.

"So you were born in 1901?" Carmen mused. I nodded, unsure of where she was going. She didn't continue with her train of thought.

We came to a secluded house, looking similar to ours. Carmen parked, and walked inside the house. I was right behind her. I turned invisible because I didn't feel like being gawked at. I didn't need the ability to see the future to know that would happen.

Carmen headed to the family room, where four other vampires were gathered. She drew to the nearest wall, and reached out for me. She grabbed my arm, even though I was invisible. "This is Bella Hale," she said, "Bella, get visible. And what are your powers, exactly?"

I turned visible with a scowl, which turned into a grimace of slight pain as another ripple shuddered through my body. "How did you know where I was standing? I was invisible, and no one can ever find me. My powers are, by touching another vampire, absorbing their power. They keep it, but then I can also use it. I can also turn invisible and create a shield."

Carmen dropped my arm quickly. "I knew where you were because my power is to see the truth. I know when someone's lying, I can't lie, and I can _see_ the truth. Like where you were when you were invisible and your shield. They don't deceive me because I can see the truth."

"Interesting, but what is the purpose of this?" A strawberry blonde was looking around the room, bored as she spoke.

"Tanya, this is Bella Swan. _Swan, Bella Swan._ You know who she is." Tanya, the blonde was staring skeptically at me, and then her eyes lit up. I swore they flashed a different color as comprehension lit her eyes. Suddenly, with Carmen's new power, I understood that changing her looks was Tanya's power. (A/N: I know that in Eclipse Edward says Tanya is a strawberry blonde, but let's just say that's her natural hair color!)

"Why am I such a big novelty? What about me is so interesting?" I pressed.

Another vampire, a blonde, had a smirk on her face. "You know Edward, right?" She asked, as if I was dumb.

"Unfortunately, yes," I answered automatically.

'_Well, that's where your life is headed.' She won't believe that. Well, she does have Carmen's power_… The blonde was pondering…my future? And it had Edward in it?

"Okay, I need names and I need to know powers. I am _so_ confused. What do you mean by 'my life is headed toward Edward's'?"

"You might get a little annoying," Tanya informed me, "if you're a mind reader like Edward, since no one said anything. I assume it was because you touched him. Was that touch nice?" Her eyes, it was deliberate this time, changed to a fierce red, like the normal vampires. I had a feeling it had something to do with her temper. _She can't be headed toward Edward. He's perfectly happy single, and doesn't want anyone else._

My power was nagging at the corner of my mind, telling me that I was headed toward Edward and he wasn't perfectly happy single. Carmen interrupted me.

"Bella, you met Tanya. Kate, she can _see_ things, like your wants and deepest desires, or needs. Irina has the power of wisdom and very quick thinking, so she can always see the best path to proceed on. She doesn't always like to follow the best path though. Eleazar can control the weather, but sometimes it's wired to his temper." Carmen pointed out everyone as she said their name. Kate was the blonde, Eleazar was the only male, and Irina was a brunette, like me.

Kate held out her hand, and I shook it. I groaned as yet another shudder traveled down my back, and Kate said, "You want that shudder to stop, don't you?" I nodded, and continued shaking hands with everyone. The shudders kept coming, and my head started to hurt from the knowledge overflowing it.

"So…what brings up here? You do know you are in Alaska, right?" Eleazar asked me.

"I came here to get away from my coven for a few days. I didn't know I was in Alaska, though. Actually, I think I'm going to go hunt. Do you mind if I come back here?" I said. That wasn't the whole truth, and Carmen was suspicious. It was part of the truth. Feeding would only take my mind off of what was going on.

_She wants to come back, so I guess she's welcome_. Kate thought. She nodded.

I whirled around and sprinted out the door, running as fast as I could. I dodged the trees until I found a herd of deer. I fed quickly, only needing to kill one deer. I loved being myself as a vampire.

I froze as I had a vision. I saw Edward leaving his family, for a short time, but he didn't know where he was going. I shook it off, and ran back to Carmen's coven. As I opened the door, I was startled by a scent. It was vampire, but not one of Carmen's coven, and smelled amazing. I opened the door, and an unbidden snarl rose from my chest as I saw who it was.

**So...I will hypnotize you into reviewing: REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW!**

**Kate: Your deepest desire is to review, so listen to Bean. If you don't review, her deepest desire is to find a way to hypnotize you into reviewing. :) **


	6. Conversations

**Okay, sorry that this is a really long chapter. And, for everyone who likes this story, please go to my profile page and do the poll. Or tell me in a review or message how you want them to find Esme...I have an idea, but I want to know what other people think. Hurry, I won't wait long.**

**My cat is still stuck on the ground, wandering, and is currently not presenting any speeches.**

Chapter Six: Conversations

Edward Cullen was standing on the far wall. He stiffened as he saw me as well, and I fought to muffle the snarl still emanating from me. When that was accomplished, I glanced at the other coven.

_Actually, the best course of action would be to leave…NOW. _Irina walked out of the room, and everyone followed her lead. Now it was just Edward and I in the room.

"What are you doing here?" Edward hissed at me. _How does she know the Denali coven?_

"I ran away from _you_." I spat back at him. "I just met this coven; I interrupted Carmen during her hunting." My scalp started prickling, for some reason. Edward's eyes grew wide, then narrow.

"What is your power? Your hair just changed color, and I know you can turn invisible, and put up some type of shield, and read minds, and you're the exception to powers. What are you?"

"A vampire," I said. I looked at my hair. It was a fierce red color and frizzy. I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself, and my hair returned to normal.

"You aren't a vampire." Edward was disbelieving. I laughed coldly.

"The vampire who changed me says that I'm not a vampire. Oh, the irony. That's rich."

"Then what is your power?" _She is crazy. Did _I_ really change her?_

"You did change me, according to Alice and Rosalie who had better still be unharmed by your crazy coven, and Alice was right. I am, theoretically, the strongest and most powerful vampire alive. I can absorb other powers, and create a shield, and turn invisible. I am a vampire, though." I sat down on the ground, Indian style. I closed my eyes and looked at the future.

I could see nothing of major importance. Edward and I were just going to keep arguing for now, that was all that was decided.

"I'm sorry," Edward whispered. He was telling the truth, and my eyes eased open, staring him directly in the eye.

"Why." I said it as one statement, demanding an answer. "Why did you bite me? I hate you for it, and am so glad that you did it, but why?"

Edward looked down, still standing up. _I was a newborn, she should know how that feels, how could I resist when she is my singer?_ "I don't know," he mumbled awkwardly.

"Liar," I snapped. "FYI, I _don't_ know what it is like to be the average newborn. In fact, I'm not the normal vampire, either. I'm a _freak_, in case you haven't noticed!" My scalp prickled again, and my hair changed color. Through Edward's mind, I saw my eyes change to a vivid red as well. Outside, the wind picked up and I could tell a storm was coming.

_She's got Carmen's power, oh, she can read my mind. She's also got Eleazar's and Tanya's powers. Bella, I am so sorry. I would die, again, if it would change my actions._ Edward was pleading silently with me.

I was through dealing with this. I listened for some other minds to pay attention to.

_Why does my power not work on her?_ Carmen was having a mental breakdown. I smirked.

My phone rang, and I glanced warily at the caller ID. "Hello, Alice." I said.

"It's Rosalie. I carry a message from Alice." Rosalie's voice was anxious.

"What?" I asked, exasperated.

"Yeah, about that…don't let your temper get any more out of hand or the storm is really going to go crazy and wreak havoc…what does that mean?"

"Another power. I'll see you soon." I answered briefly. I could hear her nodding on the other end. I snapped the phone shut.

"Are you leaving already?" Edward's velvet voice asked.

I took several calming breaths, purely for my mind, as I didn't really need to breathe to calm down. My hair reverted to normal, and the wind died down.

"Not until I get some straight answers." I glared at Edward. "One: why are you here? Two: I need the full story of why and how you bit me. Three: Do you know anything about my past?"

Edward sighed. He looked pleadingly at me. "I'm here to escape you. I recognized your scent at my house, and wanted to leave before you had a chance to hate me. We are friends with this coven. I bit you because, well, I'm one year younger and older than you. I was born in 1901, like you, but I was changed in 1918, when I was seventeen. I was a newborn, driven by thirst, when I came upon you. You were my singer. I couldn't resist. Alice and Rosalie had left you for a split second, and I bit. I was overcome with remorse, and they took me back to Carlisle. I don't know anything else about your past."

Wow. We came to the same place for the same reason, though driven by different things. I guess I know understood how he felt. As he was reliving his tale, I was experiencing it in his mind. I could feel his thirst, how good I smelled. He was telling the truth about everything, even the remorse.

"Fine. Give me time to get over it, but I'm below the hating stage now. Maybe just strong dislike." I stood up. "Now I'm going home."

Edward stood up as well. "Do you have a car?"

I grimaced. "No. I ran all the way here."

Edward raised his eyebrows. "You ran from Forks to here?"

Nodding, I replied, "Yep. Can't you read my mind?"

_No,_ Edward thought to me. _I never have._

"Okay. Point of conversation?" I asked, tapping my foot.

"Bella!" Kate yelled from upstairs somewhere. "Stop being so dense! He wants you to forgive him and ride home with him. Duh!" I rolled my eyes.

"Alright. I don't want to run all the way home." I turned to the stairs, and yelled back up, "Thanks so much for everything! Sorry if you feel cheated out of your powers."

_Edward, you get her. Bella, come visit again so we can know each other a little better. Nice to meet you_. Carmen thought.

"Bye!" I called, striding out the door. I started running. Yes, I had told Edward that I would accept a ride, and I would. I just never told him I would ride with him the whole time.

I didn't know what to think. I didn't hate Edward anymore, but I couldn't bear to spend hours with him in the car. My phone rang again. I stopped, growling to myself, and looked at the caller ID. It said Alice, but you never knew with her.

"Hello?" I asked warily.

"You did not just run out on Edward." Alice said in her attitude voice.

"Alice, I can't be with him! I can't forgive him"

"You can, and you will. Okay, he is going to call you and you'd better answer or else." Alice threatened. I snapped my phone shut and it rang again. It was a new number, but it had to be Edward.

I sat down on the ground and flipped my phone open—again. You learn, after almost a decade, not to cross Alice.

"What do you want, Edward?" I growled into the phone.

"I am so sorry. Please ride with me. I'll explain everything." Edward pleaded.

"Fine. But when I want out, I get out. Or your car is going to be short one door." I hung up the phone. I closed my eyes, looking to the future. Edward was parked by the side of the road, a few minutes run from where I was. I got up slowly and jogged to the car.

There was a sleek shiny Volvo parked on the road, with Edward inside of it. I opened the door, trying to calm myself so his car would remain intact. Edward looked up at me as I slid into the seat. I closed the door as softly as possible behind me.

"Thank you," I said curtly to Edward.

"How did you know where I was?" Edward asked, starting to move the car.

"Long story, but basically through Alice." I said, staring out my window. "So what did you want to say?" I watched the scenery fly by me quickly.

Edward looked at me. His eyes were wide, and he looked earnest. "Bella, I can never forgive myself for doing this to you. Is there any way to redeem myself?"

"For now, just promise me that my sisters are safe and will stay that way."

"They are. My family would never harm yours." Edward promised.

"Too late," I muttered.

_What does that mean? Oh, I changed her._ Edward realized.

"What I meant by 'Alice' earlier," I said quickly, "is that she can see the future. Therefore, I can see the future as well. Rosalie falls in love with Emmett, and he her, and we can't leave her! So either our family is split up, or yours is and Emmett comes with us, but either way, it's never the same ever again!"

I bit my tongue as I realized I was shouting. If I were human, I would have been on the verge of tears. I clasped my hands and pressed them to my lips. I couldn't stand this.

"Let me out," I murmured.

"I won't," Edward started, and I put my hands to the door, ready to smash it out of the way, and he hurriedly continued, "Just give me ten minutes."

I removed my hands. "Five."

"Nine?" Edward bargained.

"I'll go to seven…starting NOW." I snapped.

"Alright. Please just give me a second chance. I'll prove to you how sorry I am. I will do anything to make it up to you." Edward pleaded.

"We've already established that last point, and I am giving you a second chance right now," I informed Edward through gritted teeth.

"You're not…I mean…Well…You've given me a second chance, but you aren't being open about it. You've made up your mind already." Edward argued.

I took a deep breath. "Stop the car." Edward kept driving. "Edward Cullen, I will be more open if you stop the darn car!" Edward came to a screeching halt.

"Thank you," Edward whispered. Okay, his seven minutes were up and I was out of here.

My hand shot out and punched the door out of my way. It snapped off of the car and flew into a tree. Edward stared, horrorstruck, at the damage to his precious car.

"Whoops. Guess I am still the klutziest vampire." I muttered. "Small payback, really."

Edward swallowed and composed himself. _If that's what it takes…_ I didn't hear the rest. I was already running again.

My phone rang yet again. This was getting annoying. I flashed it up to my ear, slowing down my run to a jog. Being a klutz, you learn your limits of multitasking.

"Who is it now?" I grumbled.

"It's Rosalie."

"What?" I asked, trying to calm myself down again.

"Well, if you stop running, I'll be there in a long while. Or if you want to meet me, I'll see you in a couple of hours." Rosalie told me. I smiled.

"I'll keep running and meet you."

**You WILL review...Please?**


	7. Freaky VampiresScary

**People, if I were Stephenie Meyer, I wouldn't be called a fan. I would be called "famous, fantabulous, awesome, neat, cool" and the like. Okay, I love everybody who reviewed, and I now know how they will find Esme. **

**By the way, "akimbo" means with your hands at your hips. (it's called a _dictionary_, in case you've never heard of it.)**

Chapter Seven: Freaky Vampire...Scary

I ran for about another hour toward Forks. I was somewhere in Canada when I had a vision of Rosalie. She had parked for me on the side of the road that I was running next to. I settled into a faster pace and came upon her.

I opened the door, this time not having to control my temper so I didn't break her car. "Thank you, Rosalie." I greeted her as I sat down.

"You're welcome. Now do me, and Alice, a favor and change into these clothes. Yours are wrecked and far too dirty." Rosalie replied, tossing a bundle of clothes at me. I hopped into the back so others couldn't see me and changed at top speed. I crawled back into the front.

"Who are you and what have you done with the real Rosalie? Where is the real Alice? They would never pick an outfit like this for me." I accused. They had given me comfy sweats and a big t-shirt.

"Alice saw that you had been through a lot and decided that you didn't need fashion, just comfort. I agreed, though I didn't realize the extent that you had been through. By the way, you missed a day of school, because I'm skipping right now." Rosalie sped off, doing a quick u-turn.

I leaned back and closed my eyes. "I did not have that much fun today."

"Tell me everything," Rosalie advised. I could hear the curiosity behind her voice. I then proceeded to relay my entire story, from when I had run out on them from our house, to when I had met Rosalie.

"So I haven't had the neatest day." I concluded.

"You're going to forgive him." Rosalie sang. "I know you. You have too soft a heart to hold a grudge of this magnitude."

"Exactly, Rose. My heart is so soft that this grudge will be easy to hold because the grudge is wrapped all around my heart. Besides, I thought we don't have hearts." I argued.

"Whatever. Just rest. You deserve it. I can't believe you ran all the way here." Rosalie commented.

I took another deep breath, and kept my eyes closed. I tried to relax. I wasn't surprised that I had run here because even though I wasn't the fastest runner, and vampires didn't get tired, I had something like the most endurance. I could run faster if it was over an incredibly long distance.

Rosalie and I were silent in the next couple hours it took to drive home. I almost had a headache from all the information I had taken in in such a short amount of time. My head was reeling and spinning. Of course, most of it revolved around Edward. For now, I would just try to avoid him.

Finally, we reached Forks. I couldn't call it home yet, even after everything I had been through here. When I had been in trouble, I ran away from Forks, not to it.

Rosalie pulled up to our house, and Alice was waiting. I got out of the car slowly, and she ran up to me. Alice gave me a hug, and Rosalie came and joined us, leaning her head on my shoulders.

"We'll always be sisters," Alice reassured me, looking up at my face, "Besides, we can always just move in with the Cullens. Like, all of us."

I snorted, breaking out of my reverie. "Move in with Edward? Yeah, in a century."

"Bella, you are a vampire. It could happen." Rosalie reminded me.

Alice started pulling me inside. "Okay, Bella, don't throw a fit, but I agreed to meet the Cullens tonight to play baseball, since there is going to be a thunderstorm in town tonight."

"When you say 'I agreed', you meant that you agreed for all of us, correct?" Rosalie questioned.

"Come on, Rose, Emmett will be there. And besides, don't you want to show off how graceful you are at sports?" I asked sarcastically, nudging Rosalie in the side. This felt right, like the family we had always been

"Bella, you're coming too." Alice said, throwing some clothes at me. I hadn't realized that she had left the room to get them.

"If everyone else is coming, we'll have an uneven number. I get to ref." I shot back.

Alice put her hands in the small of my back and heaved. I dug my bare heels, since my shoes had fallen off in my run, and pushed back. Alice grunted with the effort, but threw her whole self into the task. Her shoulder dug in and I started sliding forward. My feet started breaking the floorboards, so I caved in. I quickly changed out of the comfy clothes.

Alice made me wear jeans and a nicer long-sleeve shirt. I shook my head in dismay. Rosalie was wearing pants and a tank top, and Alice had a stylish baseball uniform. A cap was perched at a jaunty angle on her cropped hair. She really did like to get into things.

"Okay," Alice said, checking her watch. "We are leaving in a few minutes."

"How are we getting there?" I asked, resigned to tonight's activities.

"Well, since they know where the meadow is, we are driving over there and following them." Alice replied.

"But we don't have to ride with them?" I checked again, since I still wanted to stay away from Edward. Something was nagging at the corner of my mind, and I looked at Alice's thoughts. All I got was a song.

"Bella, you're being like a little kid." Rosalie complained. "Cheer up, grin and bear it."

I put my arms akimbo. "Why? Why can't they be the ones who have to grin and bear with my attitude?"

"Little kid," Alice muttered. I slapped her arm, and she gave me the puppy eyes. "What's wrong?"

"I may be the youngest vampire here, but I am not a little kid. You guys know that I have more issues than most vampires." I reminded them.

"Fine," Rosalie said, breaking up our mini fight. "It's time to go, right Alice?"

Alice nodded. "Yes. Let's go, and Bella, you cannot run behind the car." I ground my teeth. I didn't want to be riding in a car close to Edward.

We all went outside. Alice really wanted to take her Porsche, so we did. Alice drove down our long, winding driveway and to the remote road leading to our house. I didn't pay attention as she drove to the Cullens' house. We arrived, and pulled up outside of their house. Alice and Rosalie got out of the car, but I stayed in.

"Come on, Bella, we're running from here." Rosalie said, opening my door. She grabbed my hand and dragged me out. I didn't put up a fight, and watched as Emmett, Jasper, and Carlisle emerged from the house. Jasper was holding a bag of baseballs, and Emmett had an aluminum bat in his hand. He swung it through the air, and I could hear a whistling sound.

"Where's Edward?" Rosalie asked innocently. I threw my elbow at her and caught her in the side.

"He's on his way, and he'll meet us at the field. Apparently, he had some car troubles. I don't know what could happen that he can't fix. He is very good with cars, and that Volvo is still pretty new." Carlisle said, stopping in front of us.

I snickered. "I know what could happen."

Emmett caught sight of me and ran at me with the bat raised. I sighed, and turned invisible.

"Not again!" Jasper wailed, clutching his head.

"AAAHHH!!" Emmett cried, running away through the trees. Jasper's eyes darted between from where I had been seen last and where Emmett had run. He settled on edging slowly toward the escape route.

I wanted to have some fun. I slowly and stealthily ran at Jasper. I was right next to him when my klutziness took over. I ran into Jasper, knocking him to the ground, and accidentally put up my shield out of habit. Jasper was forced deeper into the soft ground as my shield wrestled him back. I stood up, and turned visible with a sheepish grin.

"Sorry about that. Did I mention that, besides being incredibly strong, I am also the biggest klutz of a vampire there is? And no, what happened to Edward's car wasn't being a klutz." I informed them. Carlisle eyed me, sizing me up for threat.

"So what did happen to Edward's car, and how would you know? Can you also explain your power?" Carlisle asked politely.

I flopped back onto the grass and closed my eyes. "Okay, so I ran to Alaska…met Edward there…and the other coven that you guys know, with Carmen…uh, accepted a ride back with Edward…almost fought with him…and he wouldn't let me out of his car…so I punched the door out of my way and separated it from the car…and then came back here." I cracked my eyes open and propped myself on my elbows, and continued, "And my power is to turn invisible," Jasper shuddered, "And to put up a shield," Jasper was almost quailing now, and Alice went to comfort him, "And to take other people's powers by copying them."

"Amazing," Carlisle murmured. He looked straight into my eyes. "Did you say your name is Bella?"

I growled. "Yes my name is _Bella Swan_, and I _am_ the same age as Edward more or less, and Edward _is_ the one who _changed me._ I am the _freak_ who was hunted by _every _vampire, and I'm _still_ the _freak_ of the _vampire world_!"

Jasper flinched. "Okay, I felt that even without my power." Alice moved protectively in front of Jasper as I pretended to lunge at him.

"Let's go play some baseball." Carlisle said, pretending that I hadn't had an emotional meltdown, and he started running after where Emmett had run.

We followed him, and I noticed that Rosalie had run after Emmett earlier. Jasper stayed as far away from me as possible, and soon we came upon a large field, with Emmett cowering behind some rocks as soon as he saw me. Edward, when he saw me or caught my scent, joined Emmett. I think I might have seen Emmett making the evil eye sign toward me.

I groaned as I realized that my torture was just about to start.

**REVIEW, please. And, I will be gone for part of this weekend, but I will try my hardest to still put up another chapter tomorrow.**

**Emmett: I have the baseball bat, and unless Bella is nearby, I'm not afraid to use it. **

**Jasper: He means to review. And yes, Bella is very scary.**

**Alice: She is not!**

**Rosalie: Well, um, Alice gives her death glare She's not always scary.**

**Carlisle: Just please review.**


	8. Suicide or Murder?

**HI again, sorry for not updating yesterday...Do I have to say the disclaimer again? It's getting really annoying. I don't own anything besides my laptop--wait, my brothers keep stealing it, and so does my mom...okay, I guess I own this story. Yay!**

**Actually, I would like to thank EdwardMasonCullen for helping me. They responded to my poll (I think) and told me how Esme should be found, and I used that idea, but I was stupid and deleted the message, so yeah. I'm not positive if it was them, but clap for them anyway!**

**(I am also sorry if you got alerted that this was a new chapter when it wasn't, but I had to edit it.) **

Chapter Eight: Suicide or Murder?

The game was very interesting. I did ref the whole game. All of the Cullens, and actually Alice and Rosalie as well, tried to play dirty to win. I kept calling them on it, and Emmett and Jasper never doubted my word. Emmett, Alice, and Carlisle played against Rosalie, Edward, and Jasper. Emmett hit the hardest, with deep resounding _booms_, and Edward ran the fastest and got him out almost every time. Finally, the game was over when the thunderstorm had finished, a couple of hours later.

Everyone started running back, but I just stayed on the rock that I had been sitting at the whole time. Alice glanced back at me, and I motioned for her to go on home. I just needed time to unravel all the thoughts whirling around my head. Edward melted as well into the trees. I closed my eyes and thought.

"Hello," Edward's velvet voice said from behind me. I whirled around, my eyes snapping open.

"What are you doing here?" I accused.

"I might say the same. I stayed behind to extend an invitation." Edward said quietly.

"For what, might I ask?" I asked curtly.

Edward held a hand out. "We still have all night, and the rain has stopped. Would you like to come with me to my special meadow and start over?" I stared at his hand, biting my lower lip in indecision.

I hesitantly shook his hand, meeting his gaze slowly. "Alright. In a few hours though, is that okay?" I gasped as something worse than the shudder from a new power hit my hand. It was as though an electric current had hit me, coming from Edward. My eyes flickered from his hand to his face. He was just as stunned.

_What in the world was that? That has never happened before!_ Edward stared at my face in confusion. _Is that one of her powers?_

"I thought that was your fault! I don't know what it is, and it isn't one of my powers. I have many powers, but that is not one of them." I told him, quickly withdrawing my hand. I grasped it in my other hand.

Edward composed himself again. "Well, would you still like to come to my meadow?"

Something was nagging at the corner of my mind. I wasn't supposed to do this, not now. "In a few hours? I need time to think. I'll meet you at your house." I turned, still on the rock, and jumped off. I hit the ground running.

The ground flashed by under my feet, and everything was shooting by. The air grew saltier, and the ground started changing color. Soon I was on the cliffs near La Push. Another scent reached my nose. There was someone else here. It was…a human.

She stood a few feet away from the cliff's edge. She gazed down at the rough choppy waters below. I hear her take a deep breath and she stepped closer. Her actions said that she was merely cliff diving for fun, but she was in everyday normal clothes.

"Excuse me?" I called, stepping closer to her.

She whirled around, one hand flying to her throat. How ironic. "Oh!" She exclaimed, obviously surprised that there was another human, as far as she knew at least, in this barren land. _Why does she have to be here now? Now my plans are ruined_.

I searched her with any power that I had. Her thoughts made me believe she was trying to commit suicide by jumping and drowning. She wanted to die; everything said so. Underneath all of that though, very, very deep down, there was a longing for someone. For a man that she had met long ago. I looked at the future. As long as I was here, she wasn't going to jump and kill herself.

"What are you doing?" I asked slowly. She pursed her lips, not answering. "Fine. Don't answer. What is your name, then?" She looked to be in her mid-twenties. Caramel colored hair billowed in the sea breeze.

"Esme," she said softly. Her eyes widened as the wind blew my scent toward her. She didn't catch it powerfully, but strong enough. _She smells like him. Like Dr. Cullen. Oh, if only he had been here I could have lived through my baby boy dying so soon._

I decided to take a more aggressive stance. "Esme, I'm Bella. I would like to know why you are committing suicide by jumping and how you know Carlisle. Or Dr. Cullen."

Esme gawked at me, trying to compose herself. _Did I say that out loud?_ "Um, how do you know? I never said anything."

Whoops. "I have my ways. I do know Carlisle, though. How do you know him, and why are you committing suicide? Answer me." I commanded.

Esme backed up a step, so I stepped forward as well. "Okay, alright. I recently had a baby boy, and he died. I don't know who the father is, and I'm not married." _Why am I telling her all of this?_ "I don't have anything to life for, except the love of _my_ life. Dr. Cullen—Carlisle—fixed my broken arm ten years ago. I fell in love with him, but he moved and is too old for me by now. He must be in his thirties by now."

"Esme, killing yourself is not the solution." I sounded so dumb, but what else could I say to someone trying to die?

Esme took another step back, but I didn't follow her. She was close to the edge now. "Why not? I have nothing to live for."

"I know where Carlisle lives. You can come meet him again, properly, if you want." I said, silently cursing myself.

"I can't. He doesn't like me. He was so distant when I met him, and very businesslike." Esme said, tears welling up in her eyes. "You look so much like him. Are you his daughter?" _She smells like him too, and has the same skin, and the same eyes. They could be related._

Well, I guess I might become his adopted daughter. No need for her to learn that. "No, I'm just a neighbor of his."

"He lives here?" Esme said. She looked down at the ground, contemplating her options. _I want to see him so badly…but what if he rejects me?_ Esme looked back up at me. She opened her mouth, and then closed it. Her foot moved forward, and then everything seemed to happen in slow motion.

Esme screamed as her feet slipped and the ground underneath her buckled and crumpled. The cliff fell off, and she starting sliding. I managed to run forward at vampire speed and catch her arm. I was laying on the ground, holding her arm, while she dangled above the water. The ground underneath me then fell apart before I could do anything. We both fell toward the water.

My grip loosened on her arm as we fell into the water. The tides were violent, but we avoided the rocks. Esme plunged under the waves instantly, and I dove after her. The water was so murky that even I could see shapes and nothing else. I saw the outline of her between a couple of rocks. I had to stop breathing and swam at her. I grabbed her under the arms and pulled her to the surface.

As we broke surface, I could tell that she wasn't conscious. The waves pulled at me. Without a surface to brace myself on, my strength was useless against the waves. I slung Esme on my back and started swimming toward shore.

The shore was a long ways away. The cliffs were feet away, but there wasn't any sand until a couple miles away, in the opposite direction of La Push. I swam as fast as I could and, with the crazy waves, reached shore in a couple of minutes. I put Esme down on the beach, away from where the waves would touch her.

I examined her. She still had a pulse, though it was faint. I knocked some of the water out of her, and she coughed some more up. Esme stared dazedly into my eyes. I listened to her breathing and heart. Her heart was failing, so she was dying, and her breathing was ragged. I had to act quickly.

"Esme, what if I told you that if you went through a little bit of pain you could be with Carlisle forever?" I glanced at the future and couldn't see anything, not until she decided. "I could help you be with Carlisle forever. And I mean for all eternity."

Esme's gaze strengthened, seeing deep into my eyes, though her heart still faltered a bit. "I would say…yes. Whatever the price…I'll pay it." I could tell that she was telling the truth and this was what she wanted with all her heart. I looked at the future again. Carlisle would love to have her back, and they ended up happily ever after.

"Esme, I am so sorry about this. Are you positive that you want me to do this to you? It will be painful." I said quietly.

Her eyes closed. "Bella…do…it." I heard her heart continue to slow even more. I leaned down and bit her neck. I spat out the blood because it tasted disgusting. I could only just stand animal blood. Esme screamed, and I cringed.

"Bite her ankles and wrists as well." A voice with a ring of authority said from behind me. I listened to the thoughts to see who it was. Carlisle. _Is that Esme? Amazing, she is actually tempting me slightly. She is so beautiful…do I really get to keep her for the rest of eternity? Or will she hate me for who I really am?_

I bit Esme's ankles and wrists as well. She screamed again, and I had to walk a few feet away from her and the pain. Her thoughts were crazy and screaming for help, but she dimly recognized Carlisle. Esme gasped, and whether it was out of pain or recognition I couldn't tell. Carlisle kneeled down next to Esme, smoothing her wet hair out of her face and picking her tenderly up.

"We need to get back to the house," Carlisle murmured. I nodded.

"May I use your phone? Mine is broken by now, after that." I motioned toward the water. Carlisle pulled his phone out of his pocket and tossed it to me. I opened it and dialed Rosalie's cell.

"Hello, Bella." Rosalie said. "Alice told me."

"Okay, whatever. I'm going back to the Cullens' house, and I need you to meet me there. It's a very long story." I followed Carlisle as he started walking back toward a car parked at the edge of the sand.

"Alice and I will be there. Do I hear screaming?" Rosalie asked, as if doing a double take.

"I had to…well…bite someone." I closed the phone just then and held it for Carlisle. "Carlisle, I'll drive if you want to sit in back with her." Carlisle nodded, and I opened the back door of the car for him. He climbed in silently, with Esme still in his arms. She was panting now, and occasionally jerking in pain.

I took the keys from the seat that they were sitting on, and started the car. I drove quickly through the town of Forks, to the Cullens' house on the other side of town. I parked outside, seeing Rosalie's car, and went in the house. Carlisle was right behind me with Esme. He set her down on the couch, and she screamed again. I flinched, and turned around, into something.

I had hardly noticed that someone was standing there. Rosalie wrapped her arms around me, and I buried my head in her shoulder to try to muffle the sounds I could hear from Esme. How could I have done this to her? I was dry sobbing now, almost in as much pain as Esme. My body racked with tremors from my emotions.

I didn't move for three days. Until Esme stopped screaming, and she simply laid there while the pain took its sweet time vanishing, I was buried in Rosalie's arms. I stayed there and never looked up. She simply stood there, holding me. Finally, I looked up and was surprised at her face.

It wasn't Rosalie.

It was Edward.

**Sorry if you wanted to hear the baseball game in detail...it was just a bridge. Please review, so I can continue. I will try to post again tomorrow, but I probably won't be able to. Definitely by Wednesday night, though.**


	9. Introductions

**Sorry for not updating, just some trouble at home with stuff. To make up for it, this chapter is almost 3000 words, and by far the longest. Or, if you prefer, you can throw me to the dogs. I am sure that those mutts can help me find some vampires so I can find Edward and Bella. I would like to thank yoyoente for coming up with the skeleton of it, with their suggestion.**

**Disclaimer: If you think I came up with this incredibly neat stuff, you belong in a mental institution. (maybe a vampire will take you out and change you if you're lucky)**

Chapter Nine: Introductions

I instantly backed up from Edward, pulling myself out of his grip. I turned invisible, and I heard someone gasp behind me. I guessed it was Esme. I threw up my shield, glad that it was invisible. Edward reached his hands out for me, and walked forward. I ran at him, and he hit my shield. Edward flew back, hitting the wall and putting a dent in it.

"What was all of that for? Why on earth did you do that? You know how I feel!" I shrieked at Edward. He stood up, massaging his head where it had collided with a beam in the wall. He looked pleadingly at me. Or where I had been. I walked to the side, so Edward truly was staring at empty space.

"Bella, please. You needed comforting." Edward said softly.

"I thought you were _Rosalie_, which is the only reason I allowed it!" I screamed. He turned to my voice, and I darted to the other side of the room again.

"What's going on? What happened? Why do I feel different? Where did she go?" Esme asked. I walked to her side, next to Carlisle, and turned visible. I lowered my shield, and sat down next to Esme. She stared wide-eyed at me.

"Esme, it's my fault that this happened, so I should explain. You're a vampire now. And this, what I have been doing, is my power." I told her, biting my lip. I felt so bad. I shouldn't have done it, but my whole body told me to. All of _her_ told me to.

Esme looked from me to Carlisle, really registering him for the first time. "It's you!" Esme threw herself onto Carlisle, hugging him. Carlisle chuckled and held her too. They sat there like that for a minute, when I felt something touch my shoulder.

I jumped up and whirled around. "Stop that! Do you think I can really forgive you so easily for what happened? Where's my _real_ family?"

"They went home," Edward whispered. He withdrew his hand. That was a smart move. If he hadn't moved it, I might have ripped it off.

"Edward, leave me alone." I turned back to Esme. She and Carlisle drew apart, though their hands stayed together. "Esme, you're a vampire. We feed off of animal blood, though, and you need to go hunting. Carlisle, do you want to take her?"

Carlisle nodded at the same time that Esme asked, "Who else is here? Are you all vampires? Are you family?"

"In a way," Carlisle answered, glancing up at me. "I think that we are two separate families, or covens, right now."

"Carlisle, you say that as if we will be one coven one day." I replied, narrowing my eyes. He shrugged, and I continued, "Not that I care too much, but where are Emmett and Jasper?"

"They are upstairs hiding from the 'crazy-brunette-who's-not-a-vampire' as they call you." Edward said from behind me. I thought I heard a laugh behind his words. I listened in to their thoughts.

Jasper was going through emotional waves. I had a feeling it had to do with me being such a wreck, calming down, firing up, calming down, firing up…it had to take its toll on him. _Must not kill Emmett…must not throttle Edward…wow, that brunette—I mean Bella, that's what Alice told me—is a crazy one._ I held in a snicker that Jasper had to fight some of the urges I did.

Emmett's thoughts were pure terror. I think he was hiding in his closet. _She's not gone. It's not safe to leave. Battle positions, everyone! Man the torpedos! Load the cannons!_ I actually did laugh aloud at Emmett's thoughts, and Edward laughed at the same time.

_Leave it up to Emmett to think of it as a comical war. She is a vampire…I think_. Edward glanced at me, and I nodded. He smiled sheepishly, remembering that I could read minds.

I looked around. Esme and Carlisle were gone. "Where did they go?" I wondered aloud.

"Esme was getting really thirsty, and you were silent, and I had a feeling you were building up your energy to lash out at me another time." Edward said, walking to the door. He opened it, and gestured outside. "Would you like to finally accompany me to the meadow?"

I closed my eyes and let the future overwhelm me. I saw Edward and me sitting in the meadow, just talking. It was a gorgeous meadow; I had to give that to him. I opened my eyes. I wanted to say no, but something was pulling at me. I tried to resist, but, "Yes, I would," rolled off of my tongue.

"Thank you for really giving me another chance, Bella." Edward said quietly. I smiled. I was starting to like spending time with Edward, but another part of me still hated him. Or did it? I was so confused lately. As I stepped closer to him, I caught that scent again, the wonderful one. I realized that "Rosalie" had smelled like that when he had held me for those three days, but I was just too distraught to identify that it was the person holding me.

I shook my head, causing him to crease his forehead in worry. "Is this not a second chance?" Edward asked, worried.

"Sorry. It is. I just needed to…clear my head a bit." I said. It was the truth because I had been trying to get his scent out of my head. I realized that it was a bit harder to focus with him around me if I tried really hard.

"Then let us go. If you'll just follow me…" Edward trailed off as he started running. I ran after him, staying a foot or two behind him.

Edward led the way through the trees, darting between them. Occasionally he would come into a small patch of sunlight, and his skin would glitter. I found myself drawn to him.

No. No. I hate Edward. At least, I really don't like him. Okay, so I've basically forgiven him by now—not that he can know that. So what was I doing, following him, and thinking of him in a nice way? Was I crazy? He was the one who killed me, who ended my human life, and condemned me to Hell, eventually. How was I supposed to just forget about all of that and start loving him? I knew, in the bottom of the bottom of the bottom of the abyss that was supposedly my frozen heart, that I was accepting Edward.

I heaved a sigh, my head almost hurting from all the thoughts converging in there. Edward slowed down, and turned around to look at me. That was a huge mistake. I tripped over his outstretched foot, and flew through the air. I must have done three somersaults. I could feel my shield going up out of habit, to protect myself from whatever was going to happen, and I crashed into a tree. The tree was uprooted, and it crashed backward, with me still on it. There was a large _thump_ as it sank into the ground in a clearing. I forced my shield down, and finally opened my eyes.

I gasped. I was in a gorgeous meadow. It was almost a perfect circle, with perfectly green grass. Around, the trees were draped, in a tasteful fashion, with green moss common in Forks. I looked down, and realized that the tree had snapped in two under me and my shield, and that there was now a hole below me where the ground had caved in. I smiled, embarrassed, as Edward.

"I'm assuming that this is the meadow that you wanted to show me, and it is the most perfect meadow that I have ever seen. I am so sorry that I, um, well, wrecked it. Did you know that besides being a large danger magnet I am also an extreme klutz? Even as a vampire, which is why I didn't play baseball that night. I think I might like to do sports, but I haven't ever really truly tried for everyone else's sake." I shut my mouth closed then, realizing how much I had just revealed to Edward.

Edward raised his eyebrows. "Interesting. And no, I liked learning that much about you. I want to know about you. You are a mystery to me, and I find myself…drawn to you." He came over and sat down on one of the pieces of the trunk. "Besides, if we rearrange these pieces, we can have some benches in the meadow. And as for the hole, it adds character and personality." I laughed at his ideas. I stood up carefully, trying not to do any more damage to this precious meadow, and paused as his words sunk in.

"Wait, I thought you can't read my mind." I said, spinning around to face Edward. Another mistake. I ended up sitting on the grass, craning my neck to see Edward.

Edward looked confused. "I can't."

"But you said that you liked learning that much about me when I was thinking that I had talked too much and said too much. How did you know, otherwise?"

"Oh, as I'm learning more about you I find it easier to read your face and everything. By the way you clamped your mouth shut so firmly, you looked as though you'd let something slip. Given your past and history with me, it wasn't hard to guess." Edward explained. He held out a hand.

I took a deep breath, and then grasped his firmly. He lifted me to my feet, and I couldn't help but feel like a doll. Great, another Barbie-doll Bella.

"Thanks," I muttered. I knew he could hear it. I turned to the top of the tree that I had been sitting on, and picked it up. I put it back down so I could sit on it and Edward and I could be face-to-face.

"Look, we're on opposite sides of the hole in the exact center of the meadow. Do you suppose that means anything special?" Edward said. I could hear the ghost of a chuckle behind the words as he gestured around us.

"Let me see…" I closed my eyes, leaning against the branches sticking up from the trunk. I swung my legs up so I was sitting on the tree, with my knees pointed to the sky. I didn't actually look at the future, but just let the sun soak into my skin. I could feel it, and how it had absolutely no effect other than making me sparkle brilliantly. I sat there for a while, with my eyes closed and my face tilted to the sun.

I finally opened my eyes. "Hmm, it seems apparent that this configuration means good luck."

"That's not true." Edward countered. I raised an eyebrow, otherwise not moving. He saw it, and explained, "You didn't actually look, I could tell. When you actually see something, your body tenses more and your eyes squeeze tighter shut. You were just laying there enjoying what looked like the sun."

I stared, dumbfounded, at Edward. "You are very observant, did you know that? It might get a little annoying."

_As would you, if you can hear me right now_. Edward thought, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "You don't consider yourself annoying, with all of your powers? How many do you have by now?"

I groaned. "I don't consider myself annoying, but I can see where others might get that. And your 'brothers' think I'm absolutely terrifying. Actually, Alice is the most annoying out of the three of us."

Right on cue, Edward's phone rang. He pulled it out, and answered it. "Hello?"

He handed it to me, and I held it to my ear. "I saw that!" Alice hung up after delivering her statement. I laughed and tossed Edward's phone back to him.

"Told you she's annoying. She was right on time, too. Alice likes to see the future and parade the knowledge around, when it won't expose us. Oh, and as for my powers, besides the shield and invisibility…I can read minds, see the future, know the truth, see what is the best path, control the weather, change my looks, know people's desires, and," I broke off laughing hard again. "can really damage people's cars."

Edward's smile faded, and he tightened his lips. "Stupid shiny Volvo owners bring it upon themselves." I whispered for him to barely hear.

Nothing would have prepared me for what happened next. Edward flew at me, pushing me off of my log. I fell backward, laying on the ground, with him pinning me down. His hands were on my shoulders, and his lips at my ear.

"Take it back," he whispered. I shook my head.

"Sorry, no refunds on what has been done. Didn't your _father_ teach you not to cry over spilled milk?" I turned invisible, and he grimaced. Edward was still on top of me, but he could no longer see what I was doing.

"Fine. But I won't stand up until you answer me. Are we friends now?" Edward asked, staring at where my head had been.

"I suppose so. I can't hate you for forever, Alice is in love with Jasper and Rosalie with Emmett."

Edward shook his head slowly, smiling. I tried to read his mind, but he was playing piano songs in his head. That couldn't mean anything good, but if he played those songs himself, he was really good at the piano.

"Bella, if you mean that, please turn visible or I won't believe you." How dare he. There was a tone of mockery in his voice! I turned visible and fumed. I was ready to answer him fully.

I fell into silence at what happened next. Edward dipped down and kissed me.

It was pure bliss. My heart sang, and I pulled Edward to me. We ended up kissing, as I lay on the ground and he lay on top of me. We finally pulled apart, and both of us were breathing heavily and raggedly.

"That was unexpected." I finally managed to gasp. I couldn't believe that I was a non-breathing vampire short of breath.

"Both parts," Edward agreed. He rolled off of me so he was lying on the ground next to me.

"And what would that happen to mean?" I asked, turning my head to look at him.

"The fact that I kissed you and that, for someone who is 'just a friend', you actually really responded." If I could have, I would have blushed tomato red. "Bella, you just disappeared."

"Oh. Sorry." I became visible again. "So what do we do know?"

Edward stared up at the blue sky. I was amazed that it was so sunny in this meadow when it was always raining in Forks. "Well, you could try really meeting my family now. It might get Jasper's and especially Emmett's heads out of the gutter. And Esme hasn't really met everyone formally. Everything has been so crazy lately."

I thought about it. "Alright. That sounds nice. So what did you mean about heads in the gutter?"

"Alice and Rosalie," Edward answered shortly. He shuddered, and I could only guess at the vivid mental images they had been inadvertently sending.

"Then let's go. I want to learn more about Esme." I said. I jumped up, without falling, and started running. Edward caught me around the waist with his arm, and I stopped, confused.  
"That's the wrong way. Follow me again, and I will warn you before I stop this time." Edward started running in a slightly different direction, and I settled into a nice pace right behind him. We reached the house quickly.

Everyone was waiting outside, and they were in pairs. Alice was leaning against Jasper, her head only coming up to his chest, and his arms were around her. Rosalie and Emmett were actually kissing, with Emmett pushed up against a massive Jeep. Edward shuddered again, and I chuckled. I took his hand, and Alice squealed. Carlisle and Esme, her eyes now a dull red with butterscotch tinges, had their arms around each other.

"It took you long enough, Bella. And Edward, she really is nice once you get to know her, but of course you get to know her on your terms." Alice rattled off, clapping for joy. Rosalie and Emmett broke apart reluctantly.

Emmett eyed me warily, and I held my hand out toward him. "I'm Bella, another vegetarian vampire. It's so nice to meet you. Your name's Emmett, right? Edward's told me about you." Emmett laughed, a booming laugh, and strided forward to clasp my hand in his. My muscles tingled as I absorbed his power, which seemed to be strength.

"What did he tell you?" Emmett asked suspiciously and good-naturedly.

"Oh, only that your head is in the gutter a lot," I said sweetly. Emmett's face wrinkled as he tried to puzzle that out. I turned to Jasper, my hand extended. Alice wriggled out of his embrace and pushed him forward.

"I'm Jasper." Jasper shook my hand. There was a ripple down my spine, which everyone noticed.

"I'm Bella." I replied, dropping my hand.

"Bella, are you alright? You just shook." Esme asked worriedly.

"I'm fine, that's just my power." I assured her.

Alice then huffed and herded everyone inside to the living room. All of us sat down with our partners. Edward and I were still only holding hands.

She stood in the middle of the room, glaring at us as if to dare us to contradict her. "Okay, so we need to get to know everyone better. We are going to play Truth or Dare!"

**So what did you think? I won't know unless you review. So Edward and Bella now like each other, and everyone else is completely infatuated. The Truth and Dare is just so everyone can learn about everyone else.**


	10. Truth or Dare Part One

**Okay, so I was going to update yesterday, but fanfiction was throwing a fit and I couldn't do the whole "login/submission" thing. This chapter is half of the Truth or Dare, otherwise it would be a gargantuan chapter. **

**I. DON'T. OWN. TWILIGHT!! Waaaahh!**

Chapter Nine: Truth or Dare, Part One

"Alice! You have got to be kidding me!" I yelled, jumping up. Alice danced away from my rage.

"Bella, don't try to worm out of it. We have to get to know each other, and we might as well have fun with it." Alice said warningly. "Okay, so each of us knows bits and pieces, but is there anyone who knows the full story about everyone?"

There was silence in the room, broken by Emmett. "Just get on with it, Alice, how do we play?" He sounded excited, and slightly reluctant.

"Okay, so when it is your turn to dare someone or give them a question you have to say how you became a vampire, and your powers, and that stuff. Okay, let's start with Carlisle." Alice sat down primly next to Jasper, and everyone but Rosalie and I stared at her. We were used to dealing with the annoying little tyrant.

Carlisle sighed, and told his story. He had been from London, and was changed working for his clergyman father. He didn't have any power, but was immune to blood. He had to teach himself, unlike me. "So that is my story of my changing and powers. That's all, right?" At Alice's nod he continued, "So I'll ask…" Alice jumped up and interrupted him.

"Oh, and when you choose who to do it to you can't do your lesser half." Alice turned to glare at me. "That includes you and your lesser half Edward, Bella." She sat down again, curling up in Jasper's lap.

"Alright Alice, that means that I'll choose Rosalie. Truth or dare?" Carlisle smiled at Rosalie, looking as though he was planning something.

Alice decided to interrupt again. "Oh, and when you are being dared you choose, and then describe your personality. Other people are allowed to chime in."

"Alice, you are so annoying. Carlisle, I'll take dare." Rosalie sat up a little straighter. "So, I am very vain, and I like fashion. I also wish I was still human, and enjoyed raising Bella." Everyone's gaze darted to me, and back to Rosalie's. Only Esme's lingered on mine. Rosalie went on, "I do love shopping with Alice, and doing makeovers. I also love Emmett."

"Chime in," I called. "When she says doing makeovers, she means playing Barbie-doll Bella."

"In that case," Carlisle mused, "Your dare is to let Bella give you a makeover."

Rosalie's jaw dropped. "No way. She has absolutely no fashion sense!"

Carlisle thought about that. "You may be right. In that case, she has to give you a makeover from whatever we have in our house, and the clothes are going to be from our closets. You have to stay that way until the game is over."

I stood up, grinning. "Come on, Rosalie." I set up a chair in the middle of the room and she sat down in it. Alice darted out of the room, and came back with two bags of makeup.

"For when we stay over," Alice explained at my raised eyebrows. I just nodded and set about my work.

I actually tried to make Rosalie look nice. Well, minimal effort. She still looked gorgeous, and goth. Her lipstick was black, and she had thick black lashes. I made her face even paler. Alice handed me some large star earrings for Rosalie to wear. I ran to Emmett's closet and found his largest t-shirt. I grabbed that, and a pair of pants that I knew Rosalie would be horrified at.

"Rosalie, come up here to change," I called down the stairs. Rosalie came up, reluctant. She changed into Emmett's clothes. "Rose you still look fabulous. Oh, I have the coolest idea."

"Awesome, Bella!" Alice shrieked from downstairs. "It works out fabulously."

"What, Bella?" Rosalie asked. I looked at her and thought about one of my recently acquired powers, changing my looks. I made myself slightly taller, and rounder. My hair grew blond and wavy, down to my waist. My face grew prettier, like Rosalie's. I changed into her clothes that she had been wearing.

"Well?" I asked.

"Just like a mirror. Why?" Rosalie asked. I held up a hand, and walked downstairs into the room. Everyone stared.

"Rosalie? But Bella was supposed to do your makeup, and clothes. You look just like before." Carlisle said, confused.

"Exactly. I'm Bella. This is the before, and the after. Rosalie!" I explained. Rosalie came strutting down the stairs. Emmett whistled. I ran to back upstairs and changed into my clothes, changing my looks as well.

I came downstairs in time to hear, "I'm Rosalie, the after." Rosalie said, striking a pose. She sat down on the couch, next to Emmett. "Okay, so for my story. I don't care to remember that story, nor the year. Suffice to say it was violent, and Alice found me bleeding in the street. She changed me, and I don't have any powers, besides my beauty." Rosalie smiled at me. "It was in the late 1800s, though, and I am technically eighteen."

I saw Jasper open his mouth. "Don't ask. You don't want to know." Alice told Jasper, sliding his mouth shut with her finger. He sat there quietly.

"Okay, so I'm going to ask…Esme. Truth or dare?" Rosalie challenged.

Esme sat there for a moment, staring at her hands. She looked up. "I'll take truth. My personality is quiet, motherly, loving, passionate, and caring. I used to have a son, but he died. I love Carlisle."

Rosalie looked at the ceiling while she thought of the truth. "Okay, Esme, what was your most embarrassing moment?"

Esme laughed. "Carlisle should remember that. I broke my arm when I was sixteen, and he was the one who treated me. I fell out of a tree."

"What's the full story? That's not embarrassing." Rosalie prodded.

"If you insist." Esme sighed. "I had been playing truth or dare with some neighbors. Someone dared me to strip down to my underwear and bra, and climb the tree. I was supposed to stand on the uppermost branch, and dance up there. I fell out of the tree, and ripped my clothes." Everyone started laughing.

"Now that you forced me to do that, it's time for my story. Bella, would you do it? You might remember it better." Esme asked.

I nodded as everyone looked to me. "I'll tell what I knew of. Esme had a young boy; she didn't know who the father was; her baby died. She didn't want to live because the one man she loved, Carlisle, had 'rejected' her. I found her trying to commit suicide on the cliff. She was about to jump, but she stopped. When she slipped and the ground crumbled, I ran and caught her arm. The ground collapsed underneath me, and we both fell into the water. I managed to find her, and swam to the beach. She was dying, and I changed her. Carlisle found her, and we brought her back here. That was three days ago, and Esme finished her change today."

"Wow," Jasper said.

"That does it justice. I don't know about my powers, and I'm literally 26 years old. Alright. Oh, what's your name? Truth or dare." Esme asked, looking at Edward.

"I choose dare. And my name's Edward. By the way, I'm a mind reader. I play the piano, love Bella, like classical music, am very set in the ways of when I was changed, love my deceased Volvo, and am a fast runner." Edward said.

"You forgot to mention that you have a boring life. And what do you mean, 'deceased Volvo'? What happened?" Emmett added.

"I punched the door clear off of the car." I said brightly.

Esme cleared her throat. "Um, Edward, your dare is to…" She broke off, unsure. Her face revealed that she was thinking. I listened to her thoughts. _Can vampires eat food? I want to have him eat a canister of whipped cream, that was always a good one._

"Esme, vampires can't eat food; we can't digest it. We cough it back up. And we don't have whipped cream, anyway." Edward informed her, obviously relieved.

"Don't listen to him, Esme." Alice said. She tossed a can of whipped cream to Esme. Esme grinned maniacally, and threw the can at me. I tried to catch it, but it glanced off of my outstretched hand and hit my face. I picked it up and handed it to Edward.

"That gives me a really good idea. Edward, your dare is to squirt the whole can of whipped cream all over Bella's face and then lick it off. You can't cough it up until after the game." Esme dared Edward. He groaned, and Esme turned to me. "Sorry, Bella, but lie down on the floor and pull your hair out of the way."

I lay down on the floor and pulled my hair back. Edward took the can, shook it up, and kneeled down next to me. He chuckled quietly at what he was about to do, and squirted the cream all over my face. He covered my face, except for my eyes so I could see, and then did a second layer. Finally the can was empty.

"Hey brother, your life is picking up!" Emmett piped up.

Edward growled, and bent over me. I closed my eyes as he started eating the whipped cream off of my face. As soon as my forehead was clear, he gave me a quick kiss on my head. My hand flew up and smacked his side, and I heard laughter. After another minute and no more kisses later, he was done.

I jumped up and ran to the bathroom. I quickly rinsed my face and then joined everyone back in the room. I heard Edward explaining his story. It almost mirrored mine, until Carlisle took him from the hospital and changed him. He mentioned that he was a mind reader, and I saw Esme's composure fade for a minute.

"Jasper. Truth or dare?"

**Review, please! Okay, I need help. I don't know any good dares for Jasper or Alice. I know Emmett and Bella, but I need ideas for Jasper and Alice. Please tell me, and the sooner you do the sooner I continue!**


	11. Truth or Dare Part Two

**Sorry for not updating. In my defense, my only thing to say is: darn homework/school/projects/teachers and curse the orthodontist! I got teeth pulled so I couldn't do anything. I hope you like this chapter. I like Bella's the best. Thanks to everyone who reviewed and gave me ideas for what to do for the dares. Thank you!**

Chapter Eleven: Truth or Dare Part Two

"I'm no chicken," Jasper replied. "I'll take dare. So, for my power, I can manipulate the emotions of those around me, and I am greatly influenced by other people's feelings. Because of that, my personality varies to what to what other people are feeling around me. Usually I feel excited and hyper if Alice is around. I hate taking human lives, though my will power is very small, and I like helping people out. I also like to take charge."

"I wonder why," Edward muttered to himself. Louder, he said, "Okay, your dare is to wrestle with Bella." Alice laughed to herself. She must be seeing the outcome of the fight.

I stared at Edward in disbelief. "You have got to be kidding."

"Are you actually serious, Edward? Never mind, I know that answer." Jasper said.

"I am the biggest klutz in the world, and have the strongest power in the world. So you are joking, right?" I demanded.

Jasper shook his head. "He's not joking."

"Partially. Here's the rules: Bella, you are only allowed to use _your_ powers, the ones that you didn't get from other people. Jasper you can use your powers. Whoever wins gets to make the loser do something for a week." Edward explained.

"How do we decide who wins?" I put in.

"If you get the other person to the position where you could kill them," Jasper said distractedly.

I stood up. "This is ridiculous, Edward." I walked out to the backyard. Jasper was directly behind me, and everyone else followed. Jasper and I faced each other. I was shaking my head, and Jasper looked miserable. He was going to lose.

"Before we start…let me point out that I can use my powers, but they have no effect on Bella." Jasper said, trying to redeem himself.

"Good point," Edward murmured. "In that case, no powers at all. Go!"

Jasper started darting around me, and I started running away. Of course, I tripped. I rolled onto my back, meaning to jump up. Jasper lunged at me in my vulnerable position. I stuck my legs up, and kicked him back. I jumped up, and Jasper skidded to a halt on the grass. Alice was cheering for me.

"Alice, who wins?" I yelled as I took a crouch facing Jasper.

"Not telling," She sang. Alice clapped her hands. I guessed that I was supposed to win. Unless she was cheering because I would put on a show.

Jasper ran at me. I threw myself to the ground, diving at his feet, and he fell with a thud. I sprang up, twisted around, and fell onto him. I put my teeth centimeters from his neck, and Jasper froze.

"Bella wins! Yay!" Alice cheered. "Just like I saw!"

I stood up and dusted myself off. I offered my hand to Jasper, and he took it. I pulled him up. I smiled as I took in his disbelieving expression.

"Okay, who was pulling the strings? How could you beat me?" Jasper asked.

"Why?" I asked back.

"Because this is my entire history. Fighting. I was part of a newborn army when I was bitten in the late 1800s. After fighting with the armies, destroying and beating other vampires, I became a leader of these armies. How could you beat me?"

I sighed. "I'm a klutz. Most of that was falling, and luck. No string pulling here."

"So what do I do for a week?"

"Uh…" I trailed off. "Starting tomorrow, let Alice dress you for seven days." Alice beamed.

Jasper groaned, and Alice slapped him on the shoulder. "Alright, alright. So that is my history and story, and now I ask Emmett the famous question: truth or dare?"

"Dare!" Emmett boomed. "I like video games, and grizzly bears, and Rosalie," Rosalie interrupted him.

"I'm only third?" Rosalie asked.

"No, you're first. I'm just listing random things I like. I also like gambling with Jasper or anyone, and wrestling." Emmett finished. "What's the dare?"

Jasper thought for a minute. "Emmett, I dare you to jump off of the house."

"What are the conditions?" Emmett crossed his arms. He looked like a professional at this game.

"Tallest point. You have to do perfect diving form, like into a swimming pool. And you have to aim for the ground, not breaking your formation." Jasper rattled off.

Emmett was gone. A minute later, he stood on the top of the house. Carlisle took a deep breath, and I glanced at him.

"I don't think this will end very well." Carlisle said.

"Um…Jasper, won't he hurt himself?" Esme asked concernedly.

"Esme, vampires can't be hurt. The ground will probably be hurt more than him." I reassured her. Jasper nodded, staring at Emmett.

Emmett jumped. He had a perfect dive form, his bulky body curving perfectly into an arc. His hands were outstretched as the ground rushed up to meet him.

There was an earthquake as he hit the ground. The ground rippled from the impact, and there was a giant hole when Emmett stood up and shook himself off. He was grinning from ear to ear.

"That was fun," Emmett laughed. I looked at Esme. Her eyes were wide with shock. Her mouth formed a little "o".

"Esme, he's fine. He's a vampire." I told her again. She shook her head to clear it.

"You know, Carlisle was right about the ending…" Alice whispered. Her head whipped toward the trees near us.

There was a groaning sound, and three trees fell down as the ripple in the ground hit them. After that, the ripple dissipated into nothing.

"Okay Emmett, you'll be fixing that later." Carlisle commanded Emmett.

"But Jasper dared me!" Emmett replied back.

"Then both of you will fix it." Carlisle said, with a smile on his face.

"Fine. Alice, truth or dare?" Emmett turned his attention to Alice.

"I'll take dare," Alice grinned. Right when Emmett's face lit up, her's crumpled.

"No! Anything but that! Look at Rosalie! I mean, come on, she looks horrible! No offense, Rose," Alice said quickly.

Rosalie held up a finger. "So I'm guessing that Emmett's dare to Alice is to let Bella give her a makeover? And no offense taken, either, because I blame Bella."

"Yep," Emmett said, proud of himself, "And Alice has to dress in Jasper's clothes."

"I'm going to die…Bella has no fashion sense…" Alice moaned. I grabbed her arm. "I have extremely good fashion sense, and I love shopping, and doing makeovers, and Jasper, and being a psychic."

"Why am I always involved in these dares? I was in Jasper's and Rosalie's and Edward's and now Alice's. Not to mention when I actually take my turn," I said, pulling Alice in the house. She dug her heels in, resisting me. I picked her up and carried her inside. I put her in the chair. "And don't even think about moving." I threatened Alice.

I decided to go easy on Alice. I took the make-up and made her look extremely pretty. She smiled, seeing the end-product of her make-up. I then dragged her up to Jasper's closet.

"Pick your own clothes," I muttered. I was done with makeovers. None was plenty a day for me. But two?

"Yes," Alice whispered to herself. She rifled through and pulled out a big T-shirt and jeans and put them on. The shirt went to her thighs, and she had to roll up the hem several times and I pinned the waist for her.

"You know, Alice, you still are beautiful." I complimented her.

She ran downstairs to show everyone. They had all migrated back into the house.

"Gorgeous," Jasper declared. He kissed Alice, and she kissed him back. Everyone else started fidgeting, and Rosalie and Emmett, and Carlisle and Esme, started kissing as well. Edward sidled over to me.

"Jasper!" I yelled. "Cut it out!" He and Alice broke apart.

"Sorry," he said sheepishly.

"Whatever. Alice, your turn to dare someone." I said. I then realized that one person was left who hadn't gone…

"Bella, truth or dare? You're going to pick dare." Alice said. She stopped, and started again, "Well, I mean, my story is that I have no clue what happened. I don't remember changing, and I just remember waking up. Someone changed me, but then I discovered that I could feed off of animals, and I found Rosalie and changed her and then we found Bella and raised her and then Edward had to go and wreck it all. Spoilsport." She stuck her tongue out at Edward.

"Yes, Alice, I choose dare," I sighed.

Alice clapped her hands. "Okay, here's your dare. Tell us the truth about your feelings for Edward."

I held up a hand to stop her. "Alice, that's a truth."

"No it's not," Alice argued. "I dared you to tell us the truth, that's all."

"Then it's a truth disguised as a dare, which meant that no matter what I chose I would have to answer this question." I replied.

"Just answer the question, Bella." Emmett said, serious for once.

"First I have to say my personality. So I hate makeovers, am a big klutz, have incredible power, and I'm not sure what else."

Esme smiled. "You know what to do. You listen very well."

"You're a hater and murderer of Volvos," Edward offered.

"You're really scary and not a vampire," Emmett and Jasper said together.

"You're a good leader, even if you don't want to be," Carlisle reminded me.

"You can give good makeovers even though you hate them," Alice admitted grudgingly.

Rosalie laughed. "You're just our Bella. Wonderful, sweet, kind, Bella."

I threw my hands up in the air. "So everyone knows me, I guess. Why did I even bother…"

"So what's your answer to Alice's dare?" Esme asked.

I didn't answer. I just sat down on the couch and curled up into a ball, thinking. "Well, Edward, don't take offense…I hated Edward at first. He had taken everything away from me that I had had. My life, even. Then, it moved to a strong dislike, very strong, as we talked on the way back from Denali. I did punch the door off of his car, but it made me feel better.

"I kept coming around slowly, liking him more and more. He showed me that he was truly sorry for what he had done. Then he took me to the meadow, and we put it all out in the open. Finally, we kissed and I realized that I needed to move on from my petty hatred and open my eyes and see that he was the one. So, in the end, thank you Edward for changing me."

Everyone was quiet. Carlisle broke the silence. "That's interesting. Bella, what is your story and power?"

I looked at the ceiling, uncurling from my position. "Ask Alice and Rosalie about my history. I don't remember anything. As for my power, it's really quite simple. I can turn invisible and put up a physical shield. I'm immune to other powers, and I also absorb other powers."

"What other powers do you have as of right now?" Esme asked. "Do all vampires have powers?"

"I believe that we strengthen our biggest trait from our human life. I was very compassionate, and brought that. Jasper was charismatic, so now he can influence emotions. Alice probably had sporadic visions of the future, wherever she was." Carlisle explained. "So not all vampires have special powers."

"For powers, I have strength from Emmett, Jasper's emotional power, visions from Alice, and mind-reading from Edward. From the clan I met in Alaska, I can tell when someone's lying, I can control the weather, I can change my looks, know the best course of action, ad know what someone's deepest desire is. The nice thing about all the powers is that as long as I keep my emotions in check, I can sort of turn them on and off. Edward experienced what happens when I kind of lose my temper." I said. I took a deep breath.

"Do I have to do Carlisle now? I mean, he never did a truth or dare." I asked.

"We have bigger issues." Alice said, her face terrified. "Our future disappeared."

There was a howling outside. I smelled very strongly the scent of wet dog. I decided to try to listen to the thoughts of anyone nearby.

_Bloodsuckers! There's a heck of a lot of them._

_Was it me or were they playing Truth or Dare? Scary!_

_Darn leeches!_

I hesitated, and Edward swore. "Werewolves," He exhaled.

**Guess what I'm going to say? Review! Or the mutts will show up at your house. As you can see, I'm team Edward.**

**Bella: I never got to dare anyone, so I dare you to review! Or I'll dare the werewolves after you!**


	12. Obnoxious, Moronic DOGS!

**Sorry for not updating. About this chapter: I'm sorry if you don't like it. I'm starting to feel as though this story is really dragging along for me, so I may wrap it up soon. I would stop, but I don't want to disappoint readers out there if they like it. Please review or PM me to say if you think I should get rid of it or keep it. So I would say, "enjoy this chapter" but I'm not sure...just read, and then PM or review, please. And sorry if the chapter "flys by"**

Chapter Twelve: Obnoxious, Moronic, DOGS!

I jumped up, snarling. Emmett and Jasper both flinched. "Don't you see? They're the ones you have to worry about! Stop freaking out about me!" I yelled at them. I darted out the front door to see what was going on. Everyone came to stand behind me, and Carlisle joined me.

There were seven wolves. "Never seen a pack this big," Emmett muttered.

_Embry and Quil, from the front. Leah and Paul, take opposite sides. Sam and Jared, from the back and herd them to the open space. I'm just going in. Attack now! _The largest one commanded. I threw up my shield around my…family. They were that now. The wolves came at us from all directions.

Three wolves lunged from the front. The russet one had been commanding all the others. A small gray one came from the side, and another gray one from the other. Two other wolves, one a huge black one, came from the back. They all hit the shield that I had put up.

The small gray one, Leah, bounced back and actually flew through the air. Emmett whistled, and all the wolves started growling.

_What the heck is that?_ One of them thought. I think it was Paul. He was growling the loudest, and ran back at us. He hit the shield and it rippled from the impact. Paul was tossed to the ground.

The russet one backed up. _Retreat back with me. I don't know what, but something's blocking it._

"You're not going to reach me through my shield. Or my family." I snarled.

_A shield?!_ Quil yelped. He was the chocolate brown.

"A shield," I confirmed.

_Shoot. Is she reading your mind, Quil?_ Embry asked, doing the dog version of a glare.

"Mutts. We're both reading your minds." Edward snapped.

_Did any of the legends say anything about this, _Sam_? _Leah sneered the name Sam.

_Shut up, Leah. Did they say anything about you having to torture the rest of us when you aren't even supposed to be here?_ Jared retorted.

Jacob snarled, a grisly snarl. _That is irrelevant. Sam, do you know anything?_

"What are they saying, Edward?" Carlisle murmured.

"They've totally forgotten us. They're going on about their legends…" I trailed off, and Edward nodded.

"I guess this isn't the average pack." Edward agreed.

"Okay, so what's going on? Can I attack now?" Emmett asked.

"Be quiet, Emmett," Jasper said.

The russet wolf turned to face us. _What are you doing keep us away?_ All of the wolves surrounded us, hemming us in against the house.

"A shield that doesn't let anyone in," I informed them.

_They aren't bloodsuckers. They're worse. _Embry decided.

"You know what? I am a vampire. And yeah, I'm worse than most. But you know what? I can hardly stand blood!" I yelped.

_Whoa. That brunette's got a tem-per._

I grimaced. So we were back to the name "crazy brunette who's not a vampire". Great. I just hated this situation.

"Jasper?" I asked, still keeping one eye on the wolves.

"So you're in charge, crazy-brunette-who's-not-a-vampire?" Jasper asked in return.

_Is that her name? Crazy brunette who's not a vampire? She's not a vampire?_ Paul was confused.

"She is a vampire, Paul. And what, may I ask, is your purpose here?" Edward said smoothly.

Jacob stepped forward again, toward us. _We've come to eliminate the bloodsuckers._

"Too bad. I'm a bloodsucker, but you're not getting through me," I snapped.

"Bella…" Jasper reminded me.

"Calm them down." I commanded Jasper. He nodded, and tried to calm everybody down.

"I need help; there's too many," Jasper said, his teeth gritted.

I instantly focused on calm thoughts and used Jasper's power to try to help calm everybody down. All of the vampires besides Jasper and I started blinking, trying to keep themselves awake, and swaying where they stood. The werewolves were affected stronger and some of them were forced to sit down. The russet Jacob bared his teeth.

_What are you doing to my pack, leech?_ Jacob demanded.

"Trying to solve things the way I like to. Quickly and calmly. I hate fighting." I stopped trying to calm everyone down, but motioned for Jasper to keep at his work.

"Bella and Edward, can you translate for me?" Carlisle asked, looking at Jacob.

_And they would need a translator…why?_ One of the pack thought sleepily.

"Are you the leader?" Carlisle asked Jacob. He nodded warily. "I was wondering if you would be willing to negotiate a treaty."

The black wolf stepped forward, growling. _No, Jacob. Say no._

_Sam, I'm Alpha. Get back._ Sam stepped back, almost involuntarily. Jacob turned his attention to us. _What kind of treaty, and why would we want to?_

"He wants to know what kind of treaty and why we would want to. The black dog says no, but the brown mutt is Alpha," Edward spoke.

"We do not feed off of humans. We only hunt animals," Carlisle explained. "Look at our eyes, they are golden instead of blood red." The dogs grumbled in surprise. "We are peaceful, look at how Bella didn't want to fight."

"And besides, we are very practiced in our ways. We don't lose control," Edward added.

_What kind of treaty?_ Jacob asked resentfully, resigned to the idea.

_Jacob, NO!_ Leah shrieked.

_Are you crazy?_ A large gray wolf, Paul, demanded.

_He's right about the eyes_, Sam agreed.

"Black mutt in agreement, large gray in disbelief, small gray dog in denial, Alpha resigned to the idea and wants to know what treaty," I relayed quickly.

"A border line that we will not cross, you will not cross, and agreement to live in peace. Also, terms that each side must hold to." Carlisle said.

"First term, we don't hurt each other on neutral territory. If we cross over, the other side has permission to attack," I decided for Carlisle. "With that said, I'm leaving."

I disabled my shield and spun on my heel. I ran away, leaving the clearing behind. I heard someone shout my name, but I ignored them and kept running. I hated doing things like this.

As I ran, I realized that I had been doing a lot of running away. Was I considered a coward, then? Fine, let me be considered a coward. I had reason enough to.

I found a small clearing, and collapsed in the middle of it. I stared mindlessly up into the endless sky. The clouds were out and the air in the forest was damp.

I must have been there for hours before Alice came to find me.

"Bella?" Alice asked as she came into the clearing.

"What, Alice?" I muttered, closing my eyes. She rattled off the terms of the treaty. I mumbled my agreement and understanding.

"And one more thing," Alice mentioned as an afterthought.

"How could that not have covered everything?" I demanded, sitting upright and staring at her.

"Well, I just had to tell you that Edward's coming," She said innocently.

"Okay, why do I need to know that?" I asked.

"You'll see. And no looking at the future!" Alice told me as she sprinted away.

"Fine," I mumbled. I looked the other way as I heard Edward coming into the meadow.

He walked up to me and extended a hand. I took it, and then I was standing up.

"What do you want, Edward?" I asked softly.

Edward said nothing, only smiled and looked lovingly at me. He bent over so he was on one knee…

**Okay. Was it horrible? PM or review, please. I'll try to get the next chapter out soon.**


	13. The End

**Short, simple, sweet, to the point. **

Chapter Thirteen: The End

Edward. One on knee? Was he about to do what I thought he was going to do? Oh my.

Edward gazed up at me through his long lashes. His eyes smoldered, burning into mine. "Isabella I'm-not-sure-what-your-full-name-is, I promise to love you forever and beyond. I love you with all of my non-beating heart. Will you marry me?"

My eyes widened.

He held out a ring, waiting for my answer.

How long had I known him? I did love him by now, after everything, but was I ready for this?

Edward's eyes started falling. Did he think I was going to say no? I refused to read his mind for this, glad that he couldn't read mine.

I held my hand out slowly. It was trembling, shaking. I took a deep breath, and I could hear that rattle as well.

"I do," I murmured. Edward kissed my hand, slipped the ring on my finger, and stood up.

"Thank you," was the last thing he whispered before our lips met and I lost track of everything that mattered besides him.

**My parting words?: "THE END" (or should they be "I DO"?)**


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